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Sunday, October 21, 2012

Ana Cristina Alves, senior researcher at the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), published a brief analysis in June 2012 on Chinese Economic and Trade Cooperation Zones (ETCZ) in Africa. China approved eight of them: two each in Zambia and Nigeria and one in Ethiopia, Mauritius, Egypt and Algeria. As of June, only the ETCZ in Egypt was functional while the Chambishi ETCZ in Zambia was partly operational. About the time this piece was written, the ETCZ in Algeria was being cancelled.

Alves concluded that these ventures are at a crossroads. They face serious challenges; it is too early to declare them either successes or failures.